Several people have kindly offered to either translate or set up Proxomitron information sites in other languages. Here's the ones I have so far (note: please email me if you have a site not listed here).

Yes! The Proxomitron will work with every major web browser from Internet Explorer 5.x to Opera. If you're having problems it probably not the browser itself, but more likely it's the browser's proxy configuration - be sure to double check it.

I've run the Proxomitron, but my browser doesn't seem to use it - why?

You need to set your browser's proxy option to use the Proxomitron. In a nutshell, first find where the HTTP proxy is set in your browser then give it a hostname of localhost and a port number of 8080. Don't change any other proxy entries (like FTP or Gopher). See the Proxomitron's help file for more detailed instructions.

I'm using IE5 and set my proxy yet it *still* doesn't seem to work??!

IE5 can be tricky to set up. It has different proxy settings for each dial-up connection you have plus an extra one for LAN. Unless you're using a DSL or cable modem, the LAN setting is probably not what you want. Instead, first click the dial-up connection from the list box above the LAN button the click "settings" - you'll find the real proxy set up here.

My browser doesn't seem to work anymore - what gives?

Once you set your browser to use the Proxomitron both programs must be running for things to work. If you don't want to use the Proxomitron at all, just set your browser back to not using a HTTP proxy.

I'm getting JavaScript errors on web pages I view - why?

Are you using Internet Explorer version 3.x? It doesn't support some of the JavaScript tricks the Proxomitron uses to filter things like pop-up windows and alert boxes (BTW Opera appears to have the same trouble). You can either upgrade to IE 4.0 or higher or use the special Internet Explorer 3.0 rule set included with the Proxomitron distribution. Netscape doesn't seem to have these problems by the way ;-).

A filter can also on occasion cause an error by changing things in a way the original script never expected (like closing a window it thought should be open for instance). The Proxomitron's rules are designed to work transparently when they can, but it's not always possible to account for every situation. The solution is to enable the "Suppress all JavaScript errors" filter - the browser will then ignore any errors if they occur. Since Its not unusual for scripts to fail even without the Proxomitron's meddling, it's a good filter to always use. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a way to do this in IE 3.x - sorry.

When using certain filters, some web pages don't seem to work anymore - why?

When filtering a web page there's always a chance something necessary to the page's function might be eliminated - this is especially true of JavaScript based filters. Although it's bad HTML design, some pages might actually need pop-up windows or dynamic HTML in order to work. The quick solution is just to bypass the web filters and hit reload on your browser.

For the more adventurous, open the log window. This will show which rules are used on a particular page, and can be useful in tracking down exactly which rule is causing the problem. Once you find it you can exclude the offending page by adding it to the rule's URL match, like so... (^www.dont.filter.me.com)

Note this may not reload animated .GIFs - you may need to "force" a total reload. In Netscape hold down SHIFT while you press reload. In IE 4.x press CTRL+F5 (again, doesn't seem to be a way to do this in IE 3.x ??! ).

How come some rules don't appear to work on my browser?

What browser are you using? Proxomitron can use any browser, but some items (especially JavaScript) can vary wildly from browser to browser. The default rule set was designed around Netscape and I.E. 4.x - there's also a special I.E. 3.x rule set. If your using a different browser however, some rules might need tweaked to work properly - the good part is anyone can change them! If you do find an incompatibility please let me know.

How come I get a warning message from Hotmail when using Proxomitron?

Proxomitron can hide your browser's identity which can make more nosey sites like HotMail and Netscape Netcenter complain you're not using the browser they approve of. With Hotmail, just disabling or adding (^*hotmail.msn.com) to the URL match of the "User-Agent" header filter will stop the complaining. On other sites you may also need to exclude the "Hide browser version/identity from JS" and "Kill nosey JavaScript" web filters.

Note it's also possible to still send sites fake info as long as it's something they're expecting (like pretending to be IE5 while really using Opera).

I'm having trouble with Proxomitron on secure "https" sites.

Check to make sure you haven't set your browser's "secure" proxy option to go through Proxomitron. Only HTTP should be set to the "localhost" port 8080 settings. Secure connections are encrypted and Proxomitron can't currently filter them, but by leaving the entry blank (or pointing to your ISP's proxy) everything should work fine.

Can I automatically have Proxomitron bypassed on certain sites?

In many cases yes. Most browsers will, under their proxy setting, allow you to list sites not to use a proxy with. Simply add any sites you don't wish to filter here and Proxomitron will not be used.

I'm using Opera and still getting pop-up windows and other stuff - How come?

Opera's current JavaScript implementation seems to have the same problem IE3 had when it comes to replacing built-in functions. Try the special I.E. 3.x filter set instead - it should yield better results.

A likely cause for this is a port conflict with another program on your system. Proxomitron uses port 8080 by default and if some other program does also (some have reported ICQ might) problems will result. This is easy to fix however. Under Proxomitron's config dialog you can change the port to anything you like. Just pick a number not used by another program (it's usually best to use a number between 1024 and 32000). Be sure to change to the new port number in your browser's proxy setup too.

How many filters can I use at the same time?

The Proxomitron imposes no hard limit on the number of filters you can use (it's only limited by your computers memory). However, on slower systems using too many simultaneous filters could slow things down. Generally you may notice this if your using a 486 or slower PC. If you do, here's a few tips:

Web filters use the most CPU time - the GIF and header filters use very little.

Non-active filters consume almost no CPU time - enable just those you need.

Using URL limits with web filters can reduce load since all filters won't be active for all pages.

When creating complex filters, use a bounds expression and as small a byte limit as you can get away with.

A Pentium 120 can run a large number of active filters with no slowdown - with even faster CPU's it becomes more and more a non-issue.

Still Having Problems?

If you're still having troubles you can contact me at proxomitron@apexmail.com. Although I can't promise a reply - time permitting, I'll try and help.